Argentina
The Senate Opens Debate on Electoral Reform as the Government Seeks Support to Change the PASO
The discussion will begin in committee, and Casa Rosada will try to speed up negotiations with allies and governors. According to TN, officials acknowledge that eliminating the primaries does not currently have the necessary votes.
The Senate will begin discussing electoral reform this Tuesday in the Constitutional Affairs Committee, amid an open negotiation by the Government to gather political support, especially on one of the most sensitive points of the bill: the future of the PASO.
According to TN, the initiative reached this stage under pressure from the electoral calendar, after the National Electoral Chamber warned last week that any change to the current system must be communicated in advance in order to be applied in the next elections.
At Casa Rosada, the political strategy is under the purview of Karina Milei, with the aim of accelerating talks with allied sectors. According to TN, the ruling party does not have the votes secured to move ahead with eliminating the primaries, a possibility that even some libertarian figures now consider ruled out.
In that context, alternatives such as a new suspension of the PASO, in line with what was decided for the 2025 elections, or the incorporation of a system of optional primaries for groups that need to settle internal disputes, are emerging. TN noted that within the ruling party they acknowledge that agreements are not only about the legislative arena, but also about political negotiations in the provinces.
The meeting scheduled for 3:30 p.m. would be informational in nature, but it will serve to gauge positions and begin to organize the debate. According to TN, in the Senate there is a prevailing view that the bill’s real progress will depend on what the Executive Branch manages to close with governors and allies.
Among the provincial governors who, according to TN, expressed support alongside the Government for electoral reform and for eliminating the PASO are Claudio Poggi, Juan Pablo Valdés, Marcelo Orrego, Raúl Jalil, Rogelio Frigerio, Leandro Zdero and Rolando Figueroa. Even so, those endorsements would still not be enough to ensure approval of the most controversial point in the proposal.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
